Ballard Rifle
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 710 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.60 kg
- Introduced
- 1862
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Ballard rifle is a single-shot, breech-loading falling-block rifle patented by Massachusetts machinist Charles Henry Ballard in 1861. The lever-actuated falling-block action housed the firing components inside the breechblock to protect them from fouling, and a center-hung hammer gave fast lock time. Produced from 1862 to 1891 by Ball & Williams, Merrimack Arms, Brown Manufacturing, and finally Marlin Firearms, the Ballard was offered in a vast range of rimfire and centerfire chamberings and earned a strong reputation among target and hunting shooters.
Charles Ballard's falling-block patent outlived its inventor's own company several times over, passing through four manufacturers before Marlin turned it into one of the most coveted single-shot target rifles of the American West.
Early Ball & Williams rifles were chambered in .32, .38, .44, and .54 rimfire; later Marlin-made Ballards added centerfire calibers such as .38-55 and .45-70. Configurations varied so widely (barrels, sights, stocks, levers) that many approached custom guns.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Marlin Firearms
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1862 to 1891
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 710 mm
- Overall length
- 1170 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.60 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Falling block
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Capacity
- 1
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 335 m/s
- Effective range
- 180 m
- Maximum range
- 900 m
- Rate of fire
- 8 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Falling block action
Lever operated breech
Center hung hammer- Fast lock time
Interchangeable barrels
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,612 rifles | 3.60 kg | 3.50 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,557 rifles | 1170 mm | 1080 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,659 rifles | 710 mm | 584 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,611 rifles | 1 | 5 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Ballard Rifle
How much does the Ballard Rifle weigh?
The Ballard Rifle weighs 3.60 kg (7.94 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Ballard Rifle?
The Ballard Rifle is chambered in .44 Long Rimfire and .38 Long Rimfire.
How many rounds does the Ballard Rifle hold?
The Ballard Rifle holds 1 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Ballard Rifle?
The Ballard Rifle is 1170 mm (46.1 in) long overall, with a 710 mm (28.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Ballard Rifle?
The Ballard Rifle is made by Marlin Firearms (United States). It was designed by Charles Henry Ballard.
When was the Ballard Rifle introduced?
The Ballard Rifle was introduced in 1862 and discontinued in 1891.
How does the Ballard Rifle operate?
The Ballard Rifle uses a falling block action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- United States Army
- 1863
Provenance
Confidence in this record
65%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/ballard-rifle' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "ballard-rifle", "name": "Ballard Rifle", "manufacturer": { "id": "marlin", "name": "Marlin Firearms", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1870, "website": "https://www.marlinfirearms.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "08b9da27118c263f9c36f65336e51854a1570768f3f677491f8144ee945b8d1f" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1862, "barrel_length_mm": 710, "weight_empty_g": 3600, "action_type": "falling_block"}